There are way more cats poached, than are ever tagged with a CITES tag.....that is the really problem besides the "greenies" making up low cat numbers. Last time I check, cats can't really be contained by fences so they can walk where they want to walk.

There are way more cats poached, than our ever tagged with a CITES tag.....that is the really problem besides the "greenies" making up low cat numbers. Last time I check, cats can't really be contained by fences so they can walk where they want to walk.

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Exactly !!! In South Africa couple of years ago a guy was caught with more than 260 leopard skins ! Nothing happened to him . Then the Provinces will only apply for halve our quota of 150 permits !!!

I have told many clients ivr the last couple of years not to postpone leopard and lion hunts. These are always the first to go . Even the smaller cats. Many countries do not allow them to be imported ...... It is always sad to see something like this happen as we know it takes 5 min to impose a ban and 15 years to get it lifted !

I personally will keep my prices the same for this year and hopefully the same for next year . I really hope that the prices will not go up because of what has taken place in Zambia, this in my opinion will only make it more difficult to provide hunts for the average hunter.

TOURISM minister Sylvia Masebo says she will not be intimidated by "mafia tactics" to reverse her decision to ban safari hunting concessions.

And Vice-President Guy Scott says the government is not interested in running a colonial-era kind of wildlife.

During a stakeholders consultative workshop at Mulungushi International Conference Centre yesterday, Masebo said she was aware of some individuals that were trying to discredit her following the action she took.

"I am not intimidated by mafia tactics and please don't be used by these mafias to fabricate stories. I know they will even try to get space by influencing the President to have me fired and the only way they can survive is to get people like me outside their way. But one thing for sure is that I have no problem being unpopular because I will do my job to the best of my ability," Masebo said.

Masebo said she would not be corrupted into doing things that would not benefit Zambians.
"Nobody can corrupt me. I have never been corrupted and shall never be and worse more now when I am getting old. I don't want to spend my time going to court, for what?"she said.

And Vice-President Scott said the PF spent 10 years in the opposition because they wanted to change things in the country.

He said the decision to cancel safari hunting concessions was not motivated by personal interests but that the government was thinking about the village scouts and communities.

"Constructive suggestions, we are interested in receiving them but not allegations. We fought to be in this government to change things and we are not going to be like the people we got rid of. Our guiding line is change for the better. We are determined to fix something wrong in this sector. We need to make serious human welfare out of the wildlife sector," Vice-President Scott said.

He said there was a general breakdown of law and order and that the government wanted a wildlife sector that would provide jobs to the communities.

google zambian newspapers and check the different stories in the times , mail etc. looking like any new tendering process will be heavily skewed in favour of indigenous zambians, even if your a zambian citizen but not "indigenous" you wont be playing the same field it would appear........and a foreigner .........seems as usual the countries are all following each other.

I personally will keep my prices the same for this year and hopefully the same for next year . I really hope that the prices will not go up because of what has taken place in Zambia, this in my opinion will only make it more difficult to provide hunts for the average hunter.

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That's the huge problem for the average joe hunter, everytime a country shuts down hunting for no good reason, they drive the price of doing business up and eventually the average joe hunter is priced out. I can see leopard hunting being to expensive to hunt...maybe even now. Less than 8 years ago you could hunt on daily fees of $450 a day well the price has doubled. My wages didn't double, it puts it further out of reach each time there is narrowing of the places to hunt.

bad news for sure but I have to agree with Enysse, hunt prices are getting so bad I believe that the industry is it's own worst enemy. Here in the US elk and brown bear populations are at historically high numbers yet hunt prices are thru the roof and climbing. Likewise in Africa I hear all the talk about exploding elephant populations yet elephant prices are still untouchable even for above average incomes. Hard to get a young person into the sport when they open a magazine and see the price of most big game hunts. I know several guys that have been on big trips in the past for big 5 or grand slam etc that are now staying home.
my 2 cents

as i understand after speaking to friend in zambia hunting is banned in the 19 gma`s that were up for tender for at least a year. areas that have a year to run and depleted areas that have longer leases (15 years i think) can continue to hunt , but no cats and elephant have also been taken off quota. as i said in the zambia is following botswana thread hunting is allowed on private land as long as its fenced, you have ownership docs for the animals , are correctly registered with the govnt, and are a member of the wildlife producers association of zambia , then that is ok. private reserves not fenced wont be able to hunt. so as i said zambia is a glorified plains game area now, with only buffalo on license out of the big 5...............

Wait till The USA ban lion trophies from entering.and it is coming.Don't wait do your hunt now.Everybody is waiting for that cheap lion hunt.But they will wake up one morning and boy boy no more lion.

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How unfortunate it may be Theo is most probably right. All is about supply and demand and the moment supply dwindles and demand stays the same the price will go up .... The real threat is the possibility of the USA closing Lion imports and this is a very REAL one !

I personally will keep my prices the same for this year and hopefully the same for next year . I really hope that the prices will not go up because of what has taken place in Zambia, this in my opinion will only make it more difficult to provide hunts for the average hunter.

In wilderness areas where there are no safari operators the predators really hurt! Lions the 1st to go as they are easily poisoned. Demand for skins, bones, claws, fat, whiskers etc is high in the muti trade and people struggling to survive have no moral dilemma.

I believe all these bans on hunting and importing lion,leopard, elephant, rhino, buff trophies to the different countries are done with a good attitude in order to prevent the animals from extinction. But they are of no good as hunting is not the problem. Almost all hunting of the precious Big 5 from Africa are controlled with hunting permits and the long list of paper work you need to have in order for a client to hunt a Big 5 animal.

If we could get all the counties participating in these bans to help training, promoting and financing the anti-poaching units in the African countries, then they will start addressing the problem.

As we all are hunters and people promoting hunting we know that hunting can contribute to the conservation of animals because it is a controlled activity. I mean a trophy hunter is there to find the biggest animal he can get and that would most propebly be one of the oldest in that area.

"The true trophy hunter is a self-disciplined perfectionist seeking a single animal, the ancient patriarch well past his prime that is often an outcast from his own kind... If successful, he will enshrine the trophy in a place of honor. This is a more noble and fitting end than dying on some lost and lonely ledge where the scavengers will pick his bones, and his magnificent horns will weather away and be lost forever."

Elgin Gates, Trophy Hunter in Asia

its time the real problem gets the attention it need and not be something we read about in the last pages of our local news papers.